Football Crazy

Ghana is a pretty intense footballing nation. They hosted the African Nations Cup earlier this year and have produced some world class footballers in Essien, Muntari and Asamoah. And its easy to see why...every little village or town that I've been to has some form of soccer pitch nearby. They're usually dusty rocky affairs but that doesn't deter huge groups of barefooted kids playing for hours on end at kicking the ball from one end to the other.

On a recent visit to pay a kids school fees I came across what was a much more organised affair, an inter-school blitz between teams form all the local primary schools. Hundreds of frenzied children lined the pitch and cheered on every kick of the ball. Some of the kids playing showed off some pretty neat skills and the game finally ended in a 1-1 draw. Penalties ensued and the atmosphere really intensified. Teachers paroled the group of children crowding the goals belting their shins with canes to keep them off the field. After a few missed penalties and one save a goal was scored and the victorious team rushed the pitch and carried their goal-scoring hero at head height around the pitch 2 or 3 times!